Tea culture, which derives from thousands of years ago, has long been highly appreciated by people in China as well as around the world. Appreciating tea gives us delightful feelings, purifies our soul and lets us forget the trivial thorny issues in our daily life.

On 25 March 2008 SRO provided a golden opportunity for our residents to learn about tea culture. The Tea Appreciation Workshop was held in Multi-function Hall B and attracted around 30 participants, including student residents, university staff and two overseas students from PolyU. The tea aroma and an atmosphere of serenity, accompanied by refreshing music and in an elegant setting, filled the Hall during the Workshop.

We invited four experts in Tea Culture, including Mr. Ip Wing Chi (葉榮枝，樂茶軒（集團）公司主席). At this workshop, participants were led to appreciate the basics of brewing tea and experienced the four seasons by tasting the aroma of different types of tea, accompanied by live Chinese music performances. White tea (白牡丹) stands for spring
and tastes light and pure; green tea (新昌龍井) is fresh and clean, which suits the needs of a summer
drink; in Autumn black tea (鳳凰單叢) is prevalent , tasting sweet and dense; while in winter,
Pu’er Tea (雲南普洱) is the seasonal drink, because of its bitter but back-to-sweet trait.

For most students, the 2-hour workshop opened a window onto the miraculous traditional
Chinese tea culture. As for the staff (some of whom are also experienced
in tea drinking), they found fellows with the same interest and learned
from each other. Tea appreciation is not only an art but also
a way of nourishing your health and relaxing your mind.